Best source for printing 2 1/4 by 2 1/4 negatives, bunches of them !! My wife has numerous color negs that she would like to have prints of. Is the technology still available for...

tigerbob Loc: MS Gulf Coast

My wife has numerous color negs that she would like to have prints of. Is the technology still available for printing directly from the negative or must they be scanned and printed?

Is there a source that YOU have used or know of, as a place to start ?,

Djedi

Take a week off and rent one of these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/rent-Reflecta-MF5000-1-Week-rent-Dia-Film-scanner-Medium-format-scanner-/201736677950
It's a film scanner that will be sent to you for a week at a time from Germany. It will scan 2 1/4 film and digitize the images. Rents with scan software.
Of course you will need a computer, and in my experience, Photoshop will also be useful.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

tigerbob wrote:

My wife has numerous color negs that she would like to have prints of. Is the technology still available for printing directly from the negative or must they be scanned and printed?

Is there a source that YOU have used or know of, as a place to start ?,

You can certainly go the way of scanning (either buying a scanner and doing it by yourself, use a scanning service), or just send the negs to a Photo lab and have them make prints, the choice is yours!

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

Djedi wrote:

Take a week off and rent one of these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/rent-Reflecta-MF5000-1-Week-rent-Dia-Film-scanner-Medium-format-scanner-/201736677950
It's a film scanner that will be sent to you for a week at a time from Germany. It will scan 2 1/4 film and digitize the images. Rents with scan software.
Of course you will need a computer, and in my experience, Photoshop will also be useful.

According to their web site they only rent to people who have an address in Germany or Austria.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

tigerbob wrote:

My wife has numerous color negs that she would like to have prints of. Is the technology still available for printing directly from the negative or must they be scanned and printed?

Is there a source that YOU have used or know of, as a place to start ?,

New York Camera and Video service in Southampton PA (a suburb of Philly) does a great job of printing and restoring both slides and negatives. They also provide other processing services. I don't know about their pricing but I do know that they do a good job. http://www.nycv.com/photolab/
They will be closed Easter Sunday but you can call them for more info. I don't know how expensive they are but I do know that they are good.

BebuLamar

You can send the neg to a lab and they would scan then print them. I don't know of any place that print directly from the neg.

Paul Sr Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

An Epson Perfection V550 Photo comes with software and handles up to 4 - 2 1/4 negatives or positives at a time.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Only die hard traditionalists print color negs optically. Scanners are so good now, and the uses for digital images so much more varied, that few labs print optically. The demand is weak for optical color printing.

Professional pigmented inkjet prints last five times longer than silver halide-based chromogenic prints, anyway, and they can reproduce a much wider color gamut.

Be aware that if the negs are older than two years, or have been stored improperly, the color dyes may have faded so much that color quality is marginal.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

You can use your DSLR to shoot copy of the negatives. I have a old slide copier attachment I bought on EBay for under $50 that I copy my 35mm slides and negatives quickly. I also have an older Epson V series scanner for my 21/4 and 4x5 but it is much slower. I haven't tried it yet, but I have a 90mm macro lens that I could copy my larger negs and chromes on a light box. The macro lens would let me crop the photos vs the the scanner would not. The plus of the Epson scanner would be that it has digital ice program and would correct some of the color fade and remove dust and scratches. Happy shooting

Paul Buckhiester Loc: Columbus, GA USA

tigerbob wrote:

My wife has numerous color negs that she would like to have prints of. Is the technology still available for printing directly from the negative or must they be scanned and printed?

Is there a source that YOU have used or know of, as a place to start ?,

Definitely scan them at around 4800 dpi and save them as tifs. You can always process and print selected ones and or put them in a photo book. Copy the tifs to thumb drives and distribute them to family members so hopefully someone will protect them. Photo book is the best way to distribute prints. If anyone wants prints to frame they can print their own or you can make prints for them. If you stick to standard aspect ratios, you will find inexpensive mats and backs which often come with clear sleeves. Together they make a great presentation. The recipients can get their own frames.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Bob, you can either invest in equipment, and the time to learn how, to do this on your own. Or you can contact a scanning/printing service that will do it for you. Yes, they charge. So, you may want to break up the quantity into affordable bits and send them a bit at a time. It's either an investment of your time and energy or your money. You may get better results by sending them to a service. I say that due to the lack of scanning experience you may possess. If you do decide to go with a service, I'd recommend

Tempe Camera and Imaging. http://www.tempecamera.biz

Disclaimer: I am neither an employee nor paid representative of Tempe Camera and Imaging. I'm a customer, and a very happy one at that.
--Bob

tigerbob wrote:

My wife has numerous color negs that she would like to have prints of. Is the technology still available for printing directly from the negative or must they be scanned and printed?

Is there a source that YOU have used or know of, as a place to start ?,

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Do a Google search for "companies that print from square negatives" (without quotation marks). Pages of entries!

nervous2 Loc: Provo, Utah

Hi ORpilot: What brand is the slide copier that you use? I might have to look for one on eBay. I probably have 3000 slides and would like to get digital copies of most of them. I have a scanner but using camera directly with slide copier attachment seems to be a good alternative. Thanks.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

nervous2 wrote:

Hi ORpilot: What brand is the slide copier that you use? I might have to look for one on eBay. I probably have 3000 slides and would like to get digital copies of most of them. I have a scanner but using camera directly with slide copier attachment seems to be a good alternative. Thanks.

Perhaps a new thread about slide scanners, as opposed to negative printing, might garner you some more relevant information. Alternatively, you might use the search feature to look for recommendations. It is a popular topic with frequent threads.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

nervous2 wrote:

Hi ORpilot: What brand is the slide copier that you use? I might have to look for one on eBay. I probably have 3000 slides and would like to get digital copies of most of them. I have a scanner but using camera directly with slide copier attachment seems to be a good alternative. Thanks.

As you can see, it is a "Zoom Duplicator". It has no other markings on it. It is a T-mount. It has a Lens inside for 1-1 to 2-1 magnafagation. Since it was made for film, it is designed for full frame. It works very well with my Sony a99ll.